by Rachel George, USA TODAY Sports

by Rachel George, USA TODAY Sports

NASCAR driver Danica Patrick has filed a divorce petition in Arizona's Superior Court of Maricopa County to end her marriage with Paul Hospenthal.

But the documents, filed on Jan. 3 and signed by Patrick Dec. 31, reveal little about the reason for the couple's split.

"My marriage is irretrievably broken and there is no reasonable prospect of reconciliation," Patrick stated in her petition.

Patrick expects to file a settlement agreement with the court at a later date to divide the couple's assets, including anything not covered by their prenuptial agreement, the documents indicate. Neither she nor Hospenthal is seeking alimony, according to the petition.

Patrick, 30, announced on Facebook on Nov. 20 â?? just one day after their anniversary â?? that she intended to divorce Hospenthal, who she married in 2005. She met Hospenthal, who is 17 years her senior and a physical therapist, while he was treating her for an injury.

"I am sad to inform my fans that after 7 years, Paul and I have decided to amicably end our marriage," she wrote on Facebook. "This isn't easy for either of us, but mutually it has come to this. He has been an important person and friend in my life and that's how we will remain moving forward."

After finishing 10th in the Nationwide Series during a full-time move to NASCAR last season, Patrick will contest the entire Sprint Cup schedule for the first time in 2013 after running 10 of 36 races on the premier circuit last year.

Patrick has seven top 10s in 58 starts on the second-tier Nationwide Series, including a career-best fourth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March 2011 that is the best finish on a NASCAR national circuit by a female driver in the sport's 64-year history.

Before moving to stock cars, Patrick competed for seven seasons on the Izod IndyCar circuit. She become the first woman to lead the Indianapolis 500 in 2005 and notched the best finish by a female at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a third in 2009. In April 2008, she became the first woman to win a major-league oval race with a victory in the Indy Japan 300.